Other Poems

A Note on the Text

Ancient Egyptians buried with their beloveds a manual for the perilous journeys of the afterlife. The last critical test is weighing the heart against the Feather of Truth. At stake is entry to the Field of Eternal Reeds. In English, the collection of spells is commonly called the Book of the Dead, but the Egyptians knew it as their Chapters for Coming Forth by Day. Its solace to the living is as old as the pyramids, a promise that magic and ritual can overcome confusion and fear in our hours of greatest need.